Recognition based on fluorescent emission (spectrum) from materials has become a very important area in recent years. See Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy: Springer Series in Chemical Physics, Vol. 65, Rigler, Rudolf; see also Special Issue in optical Engineering Opt. Eng. 37, 453-467 (1998). Advantageously, the spectrum of the fluorescence emitted from a certain material is a unique characteristic of that material, and can be considered as a finger print identification of it. Recognition based on fluorescence and the spectrum has been used in a variety of areas, including spectroscopy fluorescent microscopy, See R. B. Dorshow, J. E. Bugaj, B. D. Burleigh, J R. Dunean, M. A. Johnson and W. B. Jones, xe2x80x9cNoninvasive fluorescence detection of hepatic and renal function,xe2x80x9d Journal of Biomedical optics, 3, 340-345 (1998), IEEE engineering in medicine and Biology (September and October issue 1999), Regarding Interpretation of images see 
http://creatis-www.insa-lyon.fr/recherche/thfus/demos/accueil_demos.html;
Regarding DNA sequencing, biochemistry, biophysics, and cell biology analysis, biology, medical diagnostics: see TOOLS andTECHNOLOGY Fluorescence Spectroscopy Methods Reveal Biomolecules"" Dynamics http://www.the-scientist.lib.upenn.edu/yr1995/june/ttxe2x80x94950612.html web site related to biology. Regarding medical diagnostics in vivo monitor hemoglobin-myoglobin oxygen saturation in localized regions, see Carol B. Murray and Gerald M. Loughlin, xe2x80x9cMaking the most of pulse oximetry,xe2x80x9d Contemporary Pediatrics12, 45-62 (1995).
Thus, in the past, many papers have been published in this area. The spectrum, which is emitted from the samples being examined, is collected and sent to digital processing system or serial electronic system for analysis. In most cases these digital processing systems use computational algorithms for analysis and recognition of the materials. The digital processing or serial electronic signal on full image pixel by pixel can be very time consuming.
For some applications, such as biopsy analysis, speed of processing may not be critical. However, there are other applications, for example, where a doctor needs to recognize abnormal tissues in the body at the time of the operation, or in agricultural other similar applications when a pilot needs to recognize and treat an unhealthy crop as he is in flight. Or consider the problem when an environmentalist must recognize and simultaneously treat a problem in pollution. Such problems are not easy yet to resolve in real-time.
Therefore in accordance with the present invention, I am proposing a new spatial fluorescence spectroscopic associative memory-correlator for recognition and classification. This system can be used for multipurpose applications. They include the following: (1) fluorescent microscopy (2) endoscopy (3) DNA analysis (4) all forms of spectroscopy, including optical, X-ray and -ray, neutron, electron, molecular spectroscopy. References in the solid state physics literature cite examples for the various forms of spectroscopy. For X ray spectroscopy, see for example Kittle, Introduction to solid state physics. 
The principal applications of this system are in the medical, food, chemical and biotech industries. In the medical area, this system may be used in variety of applications involving, for example, infrared pathology for diagnostics relating to various forms of cancer such as: cervical, colon, skin, breast, brain, oral, prostate, thyroid, leukemia. In addition, this system may be used in diagnosing various neurological disorders such as alzheimer""s disease, multiple sclerosis and a number of cardiovascular disorders. The use of this system can be extended further to include arthritis diagnostics because of a difference between infrared spectra of synovial fluid from healthy and diseased joints. Further, this technique may allow us to assess the effects of drugs on joint physiology, thereby providing an aid in clinical monitoring and treatment.
This system can also be used in infrared clinical chemistry for example, in the analyses of common biological fluids such as blood/serum or urine, or diagnostics of less common biofluids such as amniotic fluid, saliva or synovial fluid.
Further applications may involve infrared imaging and in-vivo spectroscopy Including (1) monitoring of tissue physiology, tissue oxygenation, respiratory status and ischemic damage. (2) In the study of calcified tissue and in dermatologic and cosmetic applications such as evaluation of fingernail health status, assessment of UV photodamaged skin, or assessment of anti-psoriatic drugs (3) In applications for critical care and reconstructive surgery or as a tool for non-invasive blood glucose determination. (4) In non-invasive near-IR spectroscopy to monitor hemoglobin-myoglobin oxygen saturation in localized regions of peripheral tissue. (5) In conjunction with a fiber-optic cable connected to the excitation source which radiated the whole heart and measured the calcium released as a function of flow to the coronary vessels. In dental treatment for detecting decay based on spectroscopic emission (Laser Focus February 1999, p34).
A fluorescence correlation spectroscopy technique already has been used as a diagnostics tool in various areas: (see First Edition Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy: Springer Series in Chemical Physics, Vol. 65, Rigler, Rudolf nucleic acid analysis, study of protein-ligand interaction, high throughput screening, antibunching and rotational motion, drug discovery, spatial correlations on biological surfaces, identification of alzheimer and Prion aggregation and confocal optics for single and 2-colo, flavine-enzymes.
Systems of the present invention can be also used in conjunction with Raman spectrometers. Raman spectroscopy is one of the main tools used in analysis various solid state material. These days the use of Raman spectroscopy has been extended to include the food industry (FoodTechnology, January/Febrary 2001, p 43), biotechnology, and the medical area. In the chemical industry, this system can be set in conjunction with the spectrometer to perform strait forward recognition of materials or compounds, thereby by eliminating the need for spectroscopic tables, or search engines based on dada base software. In food biotech industry because this industry relies on using all forms of spectroscopy including mass spectroscopy (FoodTechnology, February 2001, P 62) infrared spectroscopy (FoodTechnology,January/Febrary 2001; for identifying foreign matter in food p 55, or bacteria and micro-organisim p. 20 or in aid of kitchen cleaning systems employing nozzles. p 53. In metrology, material science and microelectronic industries. (See novel laser atomic fluorescence spectrometer for environmental and biomedical analyses of heavy metals Dergachev, Alex Y.; Mirov, Sergey B.; Pitt, Robert E.; Parmer, Keith D.; AA (Univ. of Alabama/Birmingham; Proc. SPIE Vol. 2980, p. 381-389, Advances in Fluorescence Sensing Technology III, Richard B. Thompson; Ed. Publication Date: May 1997.
See also Analysis of rocking curve measurements of LiF flight crystals for the objective crystal spectrometer on SPECTRUM-X-GAMMA Halm, Ingolf; Wiebicke, Hans-Joachim; Geppert, U. R.; Christensen, Finn E.; Abdali, Salim; Schnopper, Herbert W.; AA(Max-Planck-Institut fuer Extraterrestrische Physik) AD(Danish Space Research Institute); Publication: Proc. SPIE Vol. 2006, p. 11-21, EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation. All of these industries use virtually all forms of spectroscopy, X ray, neutron, electron spectroscopy, spectroscopy (Physics Today 1996 Buyer Guide, A product by Amptek. Inc, Bedford Mass.). For example the Laue and Powder machines use the X ray spectroscopy to analyze the crystallographic structure of the material.
Various systems of the present invention can have two ports, one port is the correlation port, and the other port is the associative memory port. Y Owechko, xe2x80x9cNonliear holographic associative memories,xe2x80x9d IEEE J Qantum Electronics. 25, 619-634 (1989).
The proposed system of the present invention has enormous performance power compared to any serial based fluorescence correlation spectroscopy system. This is because the proposed system allows the following features to operate simultaneously: (1) scanning line by line; (2) instantaneous spectroscopic correlation of each pixel with hundreds of templates; (3) automatic pixel noise filtering (4) automatic spectrum noise filtering. All these combined features should enable the proposed system to be working as a real time imaging system, in contrast to using the serial scanning approaches that are far slower.
A correlation port is provided for detecting the viewed input image segmentation. An associative memory port will be used for recognition of the nature of the input image by its printed name. Thus if the input into the system is the spectrum of water, then the output of the system should display that this material is water. For medical diagnostics of tissues where it is necessary to scan all tissue on a pixel by pixel or line by line mode, it is better to use the correlation port. Whereas, if only for biopsy purposes or certain material""s being sampled for identification, as is the case of many simple spectroscopic applications, it is better to use the system as associative memory. For all purpose medical applications it is preferable to use the two ports. One port is used to recognize the abnormal tissues by its name, such as a type of cancer, while the correlation port is used to display image segmentation of the tissues.
More specifically the preferred image identification system features an angularly multiplexed holographic store for storing a plurality of correlation filters derived from prior examination of a plurality of input image reference samples, an input imaging scanner for capturing an input image under examination, a spectrum analyzer for producing spectral data representing the frequency spectrum of the input image under examination, a computer for producing an encoded map of the spectral data representing the frequency spectrum of the input image under examination.
A first Fourier transform lens transforms the encoded spectral map and directs the resulting transform at the angularly multiplexed holographic store, while a second transform lens produces close match spectral correlation light beams emerging from the holographic store, each having an emerging angle with respect to the angularly multiplexed holographic store associated with that filter within the holographic store producing a close match with the resulting transform produced by the first transform lens. In case of line scanning, a linear array of light beam detectors (or a 1-D CCD array) and a display device are provided for displaying images having colors that indicate which detectors are being illuminated at any given time. In case of pixel by pixel scanning, the linear detector array should be replaced by a single pixel detector.
An associated memory data input SLM impresses data indicative of images of amplitude encoded characters upon the two-dimensional spectroscopic encoded phase map. In the case of associative memory it is preferable to use a phase map. The spectroscopic encoded phase map produced by the mapping computer or smart pixilated structure, indicates the nature of materials of portions of objects producing the input images.
A retro-reflector projects the close match spectral correlation light beams back through the holographic store, then through the first Fourier transform lens and thereafter upon a camera insensitive to light beam phase, enabling the amplitude encoded characters to be displayed by a display device coupled to said camera. The display and the feeding in of the input information into the system are somewhat limiting factors in the performance of the system, however, the processing of the information should approach the speed of light.